LaVista Hills had everything one might want from a city – sneaky Democrats, misguided Republicans, residents feuding with their neighbors and a brewing scandal on whether something fishy happened with the vote.

It’s a true DeKalb County saga.

The newest cityhood movement looked to be close. And it was. Almost 14,000 people voted; had 69 of them changed their minds and voted for the city, then ambitious neophyte politicians would be practicing their stump speeches for the upcoming mayor's race.

Instead, it did not pass. It was the first north metro cityhood effort to crash and burn. Why was that?

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Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. It was the first day the Federal Aviation Administration cut flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com